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Busting Through (A "Busting" Roleplay)

Jaden cast a glare at Noah as she noticed his look. "What? If she knocks out we'll--she wagged a finger between her chest and Noah's--have to carry her."

She turned her gaze back to Bobbi as the girl began to spit out orders. Honestly. She knows how to boss people around but fights like a woosie, or at least acts like one.

Jaden's eyebrow rose again, her voice dripping sarcasm, "Why don't i be a pilot. That's an idea for you."

Jaden frowned at Bobbi for a moment, before just saying what she'd been thinking. "Why do you do that? Act so pathetic when you've obviously got skill. If you'd stop acting like that you'd probably be better off."

(Thanks Carson :) For now I have some time to post but tomorrow until Tuesday I won't be able to get on at all :/)

Jo:Central America

"Morning," Jo replied as Snooze finally got himself out of bed. She was glad to see that he was in a good mood this morning- hopefully that meant he hadn't had any of the nightmares last night.

He did seem slightly off though... I wonder what he's worrying about now, Jo thought. Leone maybe? Or his sister? She wanted to know what was bothering him, but at the same time she didn't want to pry. Maybe he'd tell her about it by the end of the day.

"Hurry up and get ready. If we miss breakfast you'll be in so much trouble," She threatened him. Jo was always irritable unless she got her coffee in the morning and it was almost nine o'clock already, fifteen minutes before the mess hall stopped serving the food.

Caterina:London

Caterina couldn't help but laugh quietly as the youngest of the soldiers- Wright, she recalled- chose a shirt and pants that were, out of all the clothes there, probably the most unfitting for her. This group was definitely an eccentric one. Or at least the women were- so far the other two had remained quiet and respectful.

She couldn't put a finger on it, but there was something different about these soldiers. No, or is it that they're familiar..? Caterina wondered absently. Whatever the reason for her sense of deja vu, Caterina tried to put it at the back of her mind for now- she still had to escort the captain and her men to general Hail.

Caterina blinked at captain Jefferson, a little bit appalled at her... informality. Maybe that was what had been bothering her about these four- they didn't act at all with the same strictness and discipline that was common of human soldiers. How peculiar...

Noah's frown deepened as Bobbi relayed the new plan to them- the fact that they had to adjust the original plan at all was cause enough to worry, but now Bobbi was hurt in addition. It would be a miracle if any of them lived through this.

He rolled his eyes at Jaden, trying to ignore her defensive attitude. Hopefully Bobbi was too tired to keep up a fight with her, otherwise their bickering would just continue, and he wouldn't put it past them to accidentally give something away about the mission.

Looking in the distance, Noah could still make out the outer wall of the fort, probably less than a mile away from here. If Bobbi could make it to the gate then- assuming they got inside- the humans would treat her injury as best they could. Noah didn't like the idea of having to trust the humans to heal her. He'd heard that, without having people with healing gifts, they used medicines that hurt as well as heal people, but right now that was the best possible option.

"Fine then, you'll be a pilot," Noah retorted to Jaden. "Let's just hurry up already, before Bobbi passes out or something."

Tesla blinked, then quickly hid any other signs of surprise at "Caterina Corrado Ilario"'s salute.

Formality wasn't Tesla's strong suit, but she knew how to give a salute. She gave Caterina a rather lazy salute in return, a faint grin on her lips. "Well, then, Caterina Corrado Ilario, why don't you show us to your General. I'd like to get thi over with, my men and I could use a good nights sleep."

She raised her eyebrows slightly, trying to keep her aura of command intact.

(Hmm, I just thought of something. Carson and Leah, how will Jaden get into the Base? She's quite obviously Gifted in appearence, her eyes are an unnatural shade of blue and it'd be hard to hide her hands.)

"I'm ready." Snooze insisted, taking Jo's threat very seriously. He doubted the girl could ever actually hurt him, or worse, use her powers against him. It would be especially easy to do, since Snooze had so many fears in the first place. Despite all this, he tried his best to be the perfect companion for Jo. She had already done so much for him, he wouldn't want to misbehave at all. Jo didn't deserve a naughty child.

"Really, I'm sure we can get coffee." Snooze encouraged, taking her left hand as of it was nothing. He already got used to the foreign feel of it, though it didn't matter to him. In the deepest part of Snooze, hidden in the dusty corners, was the fact that he loved Jo. Like an older sister. He'd never admit it out loud, but he did. Very much so, like little children often do.

JemFort London

Embarass yourself, Nyx? More like made yourself look like an immature fool. Jem thought to himself. Still, he couldn't help but to smile at the girl. He swore, her spirit was uncrushable. It was hard to find people like that nowadays.

Jem simply found a white t-shirt. Granted, it was a little small, clinging to his defined stomach and arms a little more than he preferred. If anything, Jem was not of the vain sort, even if he could of been with his rugged good looks. Mostly from his mother.

He inwardly flinched at the thought of coming face to face with either his father or brother loomed closer. Jem could do this. He had to, for the greater good.

He, like Jem, was hard pressed to find a shirt that fit. He picked a simple dark blue t-shirt buried in the bottom of the box. It clung to his skin, showing off the muscles on his stomach and arms. Given the look he caught on Jem's face, Quentin was more okay with the tightness of his shirt than Jem was with his. Quentin honestly didn't care of woman looked. He didn't have time for that sort of thing and they would look whether he was wearing a tight shirt or not. So what was the point?

He glanced over at Nyx as she changed, ducking his head to hide a blush as he caught sight of her legs. The girl was ridiculously vibrant for the situation they were all in. It was almost annoying, though Quentin couldn't figure out why.

Pulling his now almost completely dried jacket back around his shoulders he moved forward to stand by Jem, waiting for Caterina's response to Tesla.

Dani: Mmm...they may very well have to sneak her in. Or she could bum a pair of glasses from one of the soldiers they've put down, along with a pair of gloves, and claim she's blind, someone Bobbi and Noah rescued, a girl who was in the wrong place at the wrong time so to speak and got herself in the Gifted fight. Is that alright? Any other ideas are welcome...that's all I've got. :P

Xiphias: I'm sorry to hear that you'll go, but no need to apologize. Things do happen, and you can't feel sorry for that. We'll miss you, but I'm glad you enjoyed your stay here. Good luck with everything! ^_^

Patriot: I completely understand. We've had people pop off and on before, and they also had little warning to give. Things happen, as I said to Xiphias; sometimes life gets in the way, and life is much more important than TI. You can certainly stay, if you would.)

Leona: Central America

Leona watched Hector approach, slightly wary, unable to read his calm manor as positive or negative. At his comment on the "warm southern air", she couldn't help but breathe in deeply and smile, though her nerves prevented her from responding.

Only when he questioned how she had slept did Leona find her voice. "Quite fine. Your beds were too comfortable, obviously. I was out like a light for hours, as you might have noticed."

Leona felt the urge to clear her throat, but she brushed it away. Light talk was something Leona only did when she was comfortable, calm, and in a good mood, the opposite of most others, who babbled in situations like this, filled with anxiety and nerves. Now she was silent, though a reluctant sigh made it out.

What will I do if he says no? She thought, feeling suddenly small, though Leona was anything but. I'll leave to return to Arizona, surely. But from there, what? Fight a losing battle? Wait for others to reject the message, and band together whatever excuse for an elite army the few who have agreed to fight with me to end a war that should never have started?

For once, Leona was lost. The future was such a hard thing to predict, but that's what several of her advisors had done, and each had shown the group she was now desperately fighting to band together. Could the future be wrong? Never had it been so, not in the time she'd known the people she did, but there was a first for everything, or so they told her.

"I'm not very good at light talk," she stated plainly. "Forgive me...thank you for the..." she waved a hand, "accomodations, and the protection."

She paused again. "But I must ask: Have you come to a decision?"

Nyx: Fort London

"Ready," Nyx announced, bouncing over to Tesla, carefully looking at the soldier---Caterina, did she say?---and then looking away, blinking rapidly. Quinten and Jem were wearing shirts Nyx kept having to hide grins at; they both looked nearly as ridiculous as her, though the women in the room didn't seem to mind, Nyx included.

What a welcome sight, she thought, highly amused, hardly containing her glee as Tesla announced they could head on to see the General now. The news brought her high down only by an ounce. The prospect of family drama had her nearly as exciting as before, though slightly worried.

Jem didn't seem to make it out that his brother was the bad guy. So who was it that made everything so uncomfortable? Nyx wondered to herself, genuinely curious, as her own family's dramas seemed just short of dead boring. I'll find out soon enough, I suppose.

Perhaps she just wasn't used to the heat (---despite it still being morning, the humid temperatures had already reached the lower 80s---) or perhaps it was her general ineptitude in one-on-one conversations (at least, in his opinion), though Hector figured it had more to do with the fate of the current day--- what he would say to her proposal, and what would happen after that.

I think she'll be a bit disappointed, then, Hector couldn't help but think. Though hopefully this time the Lion Lady will be able to reign in her emotions.

Briefly, he wondered how Leona would take to have Umbra sent with her---if she would agree at all. And how would the Commander then act towards her? He had no doubt that Umbra would be treated with the proper courtesies, though he did wonder for a moment how safe she would be. Then again, the official armies supposedly have stricter discipline.

Hector nodded in response to her thanks---her gratitude, at least, was a start. "Yes, we have come to a decision about your offer." It didn't take her long to cut straight to the chase. "But first," he added with a congenial smile, "let's head down to grab some breakfast, shall we?"

Leona couldn't hide her sigh, but she forced a smile anyway, though it was useless, at least around Hector. He seemed to see right through her, despite her best efforts; though at this point, her "best efforts" were pitiful, with hardly any force behind them. Dread was building in the pit of her stomach as she considered Hector declining her offer and what that would entail. Her throat kept getting tight, Leona's worst fear struggling to fight to the surface, a cruel, dark thought that hung over her head like a cloud.

Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

"Very well, if you must torture me," Leona finally said, exasperated despite herself. "Always the perfect host, I must say."

Leona followed him without hesitation, working to dissolve the tense set to her shoulders, both her father's voice and Kors' echoing in her head.

Bobbi narrowed her eyes at Jaden, Noah obviously trying to diffuse the situation with hurried words. She couldn't help herself; Bobbi was in no way, shape, or form physically able to take a confrontation, but her attitude hadn't caught up to that fact.

"Excuse me? Act pathetic?" That had Bobbi's cheeks burning red with fire, mostly from embarrassment. "I'm sorry I'm not pretty, a good fighter, a pilot, and a walking-talking human dictionary that knows everything all in one. There's only so much I can do. I'm sorry I work with poisons and knives and sneaking and backstabbing, not just hey, it's moving, attack. I don't do this." She gestured wildly around at the soldiers lying around them. She jabbed a finger in Jaden's direction. "Sorry I'm not you, Miss Perfection. Rub it in some more how I can't take a hit."

Bobbi, cheeks still flaming, turned, jaw working. Distantly shouts could be heard; they needed to hurry.

"And you need to hide those eyes of yours," she snapped, irritable, before turning to Noah, her eyes apologetic. I'm sorry, Noah. I'm sorry I dragged you into this. Now you're just a babysitter. Not what you wanted, huh? "Let's go."

Jaden was confused and honestly a little shocked. Though she made extra sure not to show it. Pretty? Human dictionary? miss perfect?! Where is she getting these things?

Jaden had a lot to say in reply to Bobbi's response, like "I am not pretty nor am I perfect, you little as.shole. I just grew up having to know a lot of things and make sure I always looked perfect and knew how to fight like a forty something male in the military his whole life or I'd get hit!" Though the as.shole part probably wasn't the best addition.

Instead of all the other things she wanted to say, to scream angrily, actually, she simply knelt over a dead soldier, rummaging in his pockets for glasses. "I'm not perfect." She mumbled under her breath before slipping a pair of sunglasses she found onto her face.

Rising to her feet she glared at Bobbi from behind dark shades, "I never said you can't take a hit, Mimic." Jaden looked down at herself, noting the now filthy state of her clothes. Her face had a light scratch from a low hanging branch and her hair was in disarray, the perfect image of a young woman who got attacked by a group of rouge Gifted.

Her tone back to being sarcastic she crossed her arms, "It's so terrible. Poor Laura Hale was travelling to see family when she was attacked by a band of Gifted. Though thankfully she was found by two good samaritans who'd been attacked by the very same Gifted. Now all three are looking for a safe haven in Fort London."

She rolled her eyes and moved forward, standing off from Bobbi and Noah. "Shall we?"

Leona's exasperation, or her sarcasm, did not go unnoticed by Hector at his mention to eat breakfast first. Though, when he placed himself in her shoes, why shouldn't she? The North American Commander came down south for a yes-or-no (or rather, just a yes) answer, not for eggs or coffee. That didn't stop him, however, from continuing to draw things out.

"Hm. Why thank you," he answered in an unphased tone, leading Leona to a smaller section of kitchens.

He preferred to break his fast alone, or at least more alone, so then he could get straight to his work, and many others did as well-- the mess hall was considerably emptier in the morning than at around noon or the evening. After offering a plate to her, he began to pile food on his own-- banana pancakes, mango, scrambled eggs, and a cup of black coffee to top it off.

I wondered how she thinks I'll respond, he thought. She looks uneasy as anyone, though would she have come straight here if she was? Or maybe she just wants to hear my answer sooner rather than later, so then she can hurry back to North America ASAP, if that's what she'll end up doing.

"Anyway, a little something to eat couldn't hurt, much less qualify as torture," he added with another smile as they sat down in a separate, small dining room. Especially since you will be leaving soon enough.

(Note: Wade is the boyfriend (or ex-boyfriend, depending on how he's feeling) of Ameth, the fighter that Kors cheated on Leona with. For his full skeleton, look at the thread I made for Carson. It should only be a few pages back.

Also, we'll miss you, Xiphias!!! Good luck in whatever you do!)

"The Humans are leaving," Wade commentated to the pilots and seated soldiers. "They took all of the ammunition, and most of the food. All of the non-perishables, for sure."

The helicopter's blades slashed through the sky as the vehicle made its way into the openness above the desert that was the Southwest. Wade could see out the window and into the interior of the helicopter, but he could also see flashing images of broken bodies and stained sand being kicked up by ground-vehicles speeding away.

"Ghana's the only one conscious," Wade said. His telepathic abilities let him read the minds of those in pain, but unconscious individuals had significantly less to read- certainly nothing regarding their current situation. "Get them in here fast. I don't want anyone else getting hurt."

The helicopter descended towards a dip in the landscape-- a sandy pit of cacti and tumbleweed that had been an ambush point for a supply line to the Arizona Base. These ambushes had been happening far too often for Wade's liking. Leona didn't need this right now, and frankly, neither did he. But nothing could be done about it by commiserating.

Ghana and the others who still had a pulse were taken into the copter. Someone would return later for the bodies, if possible, but the living were far more important.

Leona hardly touched the food as they passed, only filling her plate with eggs and a mango to not be rude, though she took the coffee gratefully, shamelessly pouring a mound of sugar and cream in it before sitting, her coffee now practically white. She pushed her eggs around on her plate for a moment, popping a piece into her mouth to be a good guest.

"Mmm." She pointed her fork at him. "You see, that's just proof you don't know me at all. It does indeed qualify as torture, though admittedly a well-cooked one." She jabbed at the eggs again, frowning down at them, but not at the taste. To prove as much she shoveled in another fork-full, Hector always in her sights, even if it was from the corner of her vision.

Why is he stalling? The dread in her stomach was building. No doubt this is regular Hector behavior, to put things off if only to infuriate someone. But is he trying to avoid confrontation?

Either Leona was reading into it, or Hector was purposefully trying to avoid a situation similar to yesterday.

Not quite giving into his distractions, she pressed on. "Well. We're eating. Now what about that decision you made?"

Is...is the great Leona flirting with me? he thought, grin broadening, after her insisting that the breakfast was indeed torture for her. Did she just crack a joke? Gasp! If anything, I've at least created a breakthrough. Perhaps even a world achievment.

Either way, once again, it didn't take her long to go straight back to business. She took a few pointed bites of her eggs, but Hector had only drunk about half his coffee before she asked that question: What about the decision you made?

"Yes, yes, we've made our decision," he answered with a nod after clearing his throat, still clasping the mug in his hand. This was, after all, a joint agreement. A unanimous agreement, actually. His tone was perhaps a bit more casual-sounding than she might have liked, but still firm and smooth. He already had thought on what he would say, and he generally didn't have much trouble saying things.

"I want to personally thank you for your concern with us," ---No one else would thank it, at any rate--- "and we certainly do appreciate the trouble you came to in gracing us with your surprise visit." He paused a moment, the latter words sounding a bit drier than he thought they would come out, but he didn't regret anything. Barging in, in the middle of the night. What did she think she was accomplishing in that, anyway?

"Despite this, we believe that your proposition isn't quite the best fit for us. Our goals and...your goals are not always identical, and this situation appears to be one where our ideas do not coincide. In other words, despite your arduous journy down here, we must decline your offer.

"However, that does not mean we still cannot maintain a friendly relationship." He was on a roll and didn't want to lose his momentum just yet, even if he couldn't quite bring himself to use the word 'friends.' "In fact, I have an offer of my own. I was thinking that once you head back to North America---no worries, you don't have to rush---we would send someone with you. An envoy-- an, ah, ambassador of sorts.

"I do believe you've seen her, though you two haven't been introduced. Her name is Umbra. She should be here shortly; I asked for her to meet us for breakfast as well." Or rather, Umbra was just outside, invisible to everyone, waiting for the right moment to enter like they had planned. But Hector didn't have to tell Leona that. He leaned back in his chair, took a long sip of his coffee, then looked back up at the Lion Lady, waiting to see how she would respond.